Update on Highland Rheumatology Unit

The campaigners of the Highland Rheumatology Unit headed to Edinburgh to hand over 6370 signatures to Nicola Sturgeon on Thursday 25th Feb. A promising meeting, where the Health Secretary promised she would be keeping a close eye on the developments of the Rheumatology Review currently being carried out by NHS CHP (Community Health Partnership). She also promised that No decisions would be made over the future of the HRU without discussions with patients and staff.
We were extremely encouraged by her response.

Trains were cancelled so we were stranded overnight, but the kindness of Dave Thompson MSP paying a hotel bill out of his own pocket, was very much welcomed, and proved not all politicians are in “it” for themselves. We eventually got home the next evening by train via Aberdeen. None of us had any drugs, so by the time we got home we were quite tired and very sore.

We are now in the process of opening an account in the name of Friends of HRU. This account is to raise money for equipment and items that the unit may need, of which will benefit the patients. It will also be used as a fighting fund to bring awareness to the threatened reduction of this much needed service, as we have been doing since Dec 2009. It will be run by the patients themselves, and not by NHS.

We have several local people willing to do some fundraising activities for Friends of HRU.

Ryan Maclean of Kinlochewe has kindly offered to do the Bealach Cycle race in May, as a sponsored cycle, look out for sponsor forms and please do donate to this very worthwhile fund.

There are also several other people willing to do different fundraising activities.

A sponsored bed push. A hillclimb in Skye. A 10km run. A couple of Quiz nights.

Eoghain Maclean has offered a mounted print for a 100 board. We are looking at doing an auction later in the year, and perhaps print-out raffle books and do a big prize raffle.

If you have not already done so, please would you sign our online petition at: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/no-cuts-to-highland-rheumatology-u nit.html

Please contact me (Michelle) on 01445 760351 if you would like a hard copy petition to hand around your friends and family.

Apart from Dave Thompson, the MSP's are working at cross-party purposes to help fight this review. We also have on our side, Jamie Stone, Rhoda Grant, Mary Scanlon and Rob Gibson!

Thanks to everyone who has helped us with this fight. The support has been wonderful and very encouraging. Michelle Stevenson